


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

by Denois



Series: AU August 2018 [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: AU, First Kiss, Flowers, Getting Together, Jumping to Conclusions, Lies, M/M, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 16:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois
Summary: Everyone has a soul flower that begins to drop petals the first time they speak with their soulmate. If they kiss before the last petal falls, the soul bond is formed. Only around 40% of people form their soul bonds, either because they don't want to, or because they can't find their soulmate.When Dex's flower starts losing petals, he's desperate to discover who his soulmate is.When Nursey's flower starts losing petals, he tells his flower that it's mistaken.





	He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to [B_Frizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/b_frizzy%22) for the beta.
> 
> Part of my AU August which is not going by a calendar at all. 
> 
> This idea was born from my attempt to think of soulmate au's that haven't been done yet.
> 
> The ability to decline a soul bond or to have a platonic bond is super important to me.

Dex noticed the petals when he got back from his prospect tour to Samwell. Two petals were resting on the base of the flower stand, still looking fresh. 

His first thought was to make a list of the people that he’d talked to. But he’d talked to the entire hockey team, a dozen of other prospects, servers in the cafeteria, seat mates on the train, custodians. It only took a few words to count as meeting your soulmate. 

It was a long list.

He had talked himself into going to UMaine Orono on the ride home. It was still probably the smart move. Fewer than 40% of people form the soul bond. Some intentionally avoided it, some from a similar situation to his current one. Overwhelming odds. Of course, forming the soul bond doesn’t mean it’s a romantic or sexual connection, and not forming the bond doesn’t mean you won’t have such a connection if you desire. 

Dex knew people that were happy with their partners even without the soul bond. He knew people whose soulmate was their best friend. 

But his parents were soul bonded and he’d always thought he might have that some day. Someone that knew him better than he knew himself. 

So he applied for Samwell. It was his best shot of finding the person again.

@~>~~

Nursey didn’t look at his flower when first got back to his hotel after the tour around campus. For years, he’d followed that routine. As soon as he got back to his room, wherever it was for the night, he checked the flower. He took it with him any time he’d be away from home overnight.

But after four years at Andover, he had stopped believing it could be any day. He convinced himself that the day he met his soulmate would be special. There’d be something other than the flower that alerted him. It never happened at Andover because it was full of conservative pricks that didn’t deserve to know his name, much less be his soulmate. 

So, he was out of the habit of checking his flower multiple times and first thing when he got back in the evening. 

He didn’t see the petal until he was almost in bed. 

He signed with Samwell from his phone while lying in the hotel bed.

@~>~~

Dex was methodical. He checked the hockey team first. He checked off the people who had found their soulmates. Those whose flowers started shedding petals before his tour. Those whose petals haven’t started dropping. 

He tried to find the random people he’d talked to. That was nearly impossible. The barista at Annie’s and the cashier at the campus cafeteria were the only two he could be sure of. If it was someone he’d met on the train, he was almost assuredly out of luck. 

He was pretty quickly resigned to never finding his soulmate and overpaying for college for no reason.

He tracked the petals as they fell, knowing there was no pattern, no set number of days until the last fell and his time was up. 

He expected that it would be a relief when it did. 

At least then he wouldn’t have to wonder.

@~>~~

After starting at Samwell, it had become painfully obvious who Nursey’s flower thought was his soulmate. His flower was wrong. He told it so on more than one occasion. It ignored him and continued to shed petals at random intervals. 

He always thought it would be obvious because there’d be some special connection even before the bond. Some electricity between them. A warmth when he looked at them. Something nice and romantic. Something he could write poems about.

Instead, the feeling he got was irritation. How was a basic ass white boy supposed to be his soulmate? If the universe was just going to stick him with that, there were plenty at Andover. The wait was unnecessary.

It was easy to tell because he was asking literally everyone on the team if their flower had started dropping petals. Oh sure, Dex wasn’t a complete idiot. He framed it like research for a sociology class. 

“You’re a comp sci major, Poindexter. You don’t need a sociology class.” Nursey barely spoke the words, breathing them really, but his eyes swept the room to make sure no one else had heard.

He watched as Dex’s shoulders drooped slightly after Ransom said that he’d already formed the soul bond and then wrapped an arm around Holster who grinned. “Frog year! Sealed it in a week.”

He watched as the corners of Dex’s mouth tightened when Chowder said that his flower hadn’t started dropping petals yet. 

It was interesting. Seeing who his soulmate hoped for as a soulmate. Not the ones that he’d expected. Well, maybe he’d anticipated Chowder. 

He carefully schooled his face to his most chill expression when Dex turned to him. 

“Nurse. Has your soul flower started dropping petals? If so, how old were you when it occurred and have you found and completed the soul bond? Do you intend to complete the soul bond.” Dex’s voice was flat and dispassionate, like he was just asking to keep up the ruse.

“Oh yeah. Definitely. It started shedding petals on the taddy tour. Haven’t completed the bond yet. You wanna do that right now?” Nursey blinked at him slowly.

The effect was not quite immediate. Chowder reacted first, gasping and dropping his fork onto his plate. Then the blush spread over Dex’s face and neck as his eyes popped open.

“What? You? Me? Now? What?” Dex’s sputtering was almost cute. For a basic ass white boy.

Nursey snorted. “I’m joking. You really think I’d be your soulmate, Poindexter?” Nursey let his face slide into a smirk and then rolled to his feet. “Later, guys. I’ve got places to be.”

He left Dex spluttering about how his project had nothing to do with his own soulmate. He left with confirmation that Dex’s petals had started dropping during the taddy tour. He left knowing that Dex was his soulmate and for the first time in his life, he didn’t want to complete the soul bond.

@~>~~

Dex’s project for Sociology of the Soulmate Institution gave him an excuse to ask people all over campus about their soul flower status. It gave him a reason to explore how many people wanted the bond if they could have it. 

It gave him recurring dreams of Nursey suggesting that they were soulmates. That they should kiss and form the soul bond. 

He thought that he should consider them nightmares. His subconscious and body seemed to disagree.

It did nothing to ease the dread he felt each time a petal fell. Logically, he knew he wouldn’t find his soulmate. That they were a janitor or cashier at a convenience store somewhere between Maine and Samwell. But he couldn’t seem to make himself stop hoping. 

So he forced himself to focus on other things. School work sucked. More than in high school, but the classes were more interesting at least. Hockey kicked his ass. But at least he and Nursey were getting better at working together and Ransom seemed proud of his progress. 

He had no friends outside of the team. But he’d never had a big friend group, so that was fine. Chowder was an amazing friend from the start. Nursey stopped shoving his money around quite so much. Ransom recommended some reading. He talked with Shitty.

To his surprise, Nursey was one of his best friends. Even if he was still an antagonistic little shit that tried to rile Dex up every chance he got.

Lardo caught him alone one day at the Haus, “What’s up with your talks with Shitty? He giving you a hard time?”

Dex looked at her and then away, smoothing his hand over the book that he’d been reading. “Just been trying to work on unpacking some shit so I can be a better friend. He’s helping me.”

“Is Nursey making you do this?”

Dex shook his head. “Being in a different environment-“ he stopped and sighed. “Like, the toxic masculinity of my old team is bullshit, and I realize that. But I expected all teams to be like that and it means I wasn’t a good friend to you and Bitty. And, I mean, I’m white, so I’ve got shit to unpack or I can’t be the kind of friend Chris deserves. So Ransom recommended some things to read as a start.” 

“And then you decided to talk it out with Shitty. Another white guy.” Lardo’s face was neutral, but Dex was pretty sure that just meant she was withholding judgement for the moment.

“Yeah. He likes it, and I’m not forcing people to do emotional labor for me.”

Something in Lardo relaxed and Dex was pretty sure that meant he was in the right track. “Just, make sure you listen to own-voices more, yeah? Shitty is a great guy, but….”

“Yeah, his lecture on poverty and the working poor kind of tipped me off there.” 

Lardo rolled her eyes in commiseration. “Yeah. He does that sometimes. He tried to correct my pronunciation of Pho.” She punched his shoulder. “Hey. Thanks for trying. You’re not the only guy on the team with shit to unpack. Not even the only white guy.”

Dex smiled. “You know what that is? Growth.” 

He started laughing as Lardo groaned and walked away.

So, yeah. He had friends. Then the semester was almost over and he’d turned in the project. 

And his flower was almost out of petals.

@~>~~

The thing was, Nursey’d expected Dex to be horrified by the thought of them being soulmates. He knew Dex well enough after a few weeks to know that he saw him as nothing more than a spoiled rich kid. He knew that Dex hated him. Barely tolerated him. 

But when Nursey had suggested they kiss and form the soul bond, Dex’s eyes had widened. In shock and surprise. And in anticipation. Like he would welcome it.

Nursey pushed the thought out of his mind. But maybe he eased up on Dex a little. He still antagonized him every chance he got. Nursey just couldn’t help himself. But it was playful, and something bordering on regular chirping. And somehow that meant they became some sort of friends. He even tried to stop being so blatant about flashing his money around. Which was hard, because he sometimes forgot how costs add up. 

He thought maybe that deserved more thought, but he put it aside for later.

By the end of the semester, Nursey was regretting making Dex think they weren’t soulmates. His third thoughts were cursing him for letting his first and second thoughts out without consulting them first. 

He apologized to his flower. Begged it to stop shedding petals. Asked it for advice. It remained silent and continued to shed petals at its random rate. Nursey glared at it for judging him.

@~>~~

Epikegster hit Dex like a gut punch. The semester was over. He was headed home for a short break before practice and games picked back up. His flower had one petal left and he didn’t know if he had seconds or months. 

His sociology professor argued that the unclear time frame shaped how people within society perceived soulmates and their place in the process. Dex thought it was just designed increase his anxiety until he snapped. So, he was drowning his feelings in cheap beer and tub juice.

“Chris, are you, are you sure you’re not my soulmate?” Dex leaned against Chowder’s shoulder. 

“Sorry Dex. I locked that down weeks ago.” Farmer reached around from Chowder’s other shoulder and rubbed Dex’s hair softly. 

“No chance we are a three way soul group? There’s gotta be configurations for polya people, right?” Dex knew his voice was getting whiny, but he couldn’t help it. “Maybe I’m like your QPP.” 

Dex felt Chowder look towards Farmer and then back towards him. “I guess it’s possible. But Dex, you know that my flower didn’t start dropping petals until we ran into Cait.”

Dex heaved a large sigh. “Yeah. I know.” He forced himself back upright. “Well. I’ll let you two make out or whatever then.” 

Dex dragged himself back upright and stumbled off without listening if Chowder responded.

@~>~~

“Come on, little bro. Hang in there.” Nursey wasn’t sure if the petal was listening to him or not. He frowned at it one last time before leaving for the Epikegster.

He didn’t waste time before getting drunk once he arrived. He teamed up with Lardo for some pong and flip cup and sponged for her. He went shot for shot with some guys from the soccer team, possibly licking some of those shots off of some of their stomachs. No one could prove anything. He danced. He had a good time.

He watched Dex drape himself over Chowder and Farmer. He watched Dex go to the back porch, and he followed him. After Dex collapsed onto the porch, Nursey sat next to him and handed him another beer. 

“Did you know? Did you, Nurse?” Dex leaned into him.

“Did I know what, Dexy?”

“Did you know, my dad worked the early shift at the lumber mill and my mom the late shift at the restaurant. Meant there was almost always someone home for us kids. But they were almost never home at the same time. Right? Like, Ma would get home so late and Dad had to get up so early. What kind of marriage is that?” Apparently, Dex rambled when he was drunk.

“I don’t know, man. Sounds rough.” Nursey took a long pull from his beer.

“But you know, sometimes I’d wake up late at night and need to pee or want a drink of water and I’d catch them dancing in the kitchen. Or sometimes the living room with the light out. Even though it meant Dad would be tired at work, and those saws….” Dex faded off at the end. 

“That’s nice. Sounds like they really love each other.”

“Yeah. They were soulmates. I-“ Dex paused and heaved in a huge breath. “I always wanted to have what they have. You know? But. It’s not going to happen. I mean, sure. I considered just kissing everyone that it could be, but I’m pretty strongly against sexual assault. So, that was out pretty quick.” 

Dex lifted his beer into the air. “To soulmates. Found and unfounded.” The moment was ruined when he spilled half the drink down his shirt.

“You really have no idea who your soulmate is?” Nurse watched him as he stared down at his shirt as if confused about why it was suddenly wet.

“Nurse, other than random cashiers, you’re the only other person it could be, right? I even double checked with Chris. And you said it was you, then that it wasn’t you. So.” He looked up at Nursey at this point, his face open and confused. “If it is, you don’t want me. Right? So it’s better to not know. It’s probably some cashier anyway. That seems like a fit for me.”

Dex pulled away from him and started trying to stand. “As if a guy like you would be soulmates with a guy like me. As if you’d want to.” Dex snorted. “God, I’m an idiot.” 

Nursey didn’t really think about it, the benefit of the alcohol coursing through his veins, he just reached out and grabbed Dex’s arm and pulled him back. “Let’s finish this before the petals fall, then.” 

Then his lips were on Dex’s and he felt the world shift. He wouldn’t be able to explain it later, but it felt as though it was suddenly in better focus, and a connection snapped between them, like a rope pulled taut.

Nursey knew the statistics. Something like 55% of soul bonds formed are platonic. And he’d never seen Dex show any interest in guys except for as potential soulmates, so Nursey was pretty sure that he was straight, or maybe ace. But while Dex’s lips were still pressed to his, he let himself imagine that it would be one of the romantic connections. 

A few seconds later, Dex pulled back and stared at him, eyes wide with surprise and confusion. “But you didn’t want me.”

Nursey squeezed his hand around Dex’s arm where he was still holding him. “I didn’t want who you were.” He stopped and corrected himself. “No, that’s not fair. I didn't want who I thought you were.”

“But now?”

“Now, you got me, Dexy. If you want me.”

Dex’s mouth was on his again, still soft. Then he tilted his head and opened his mouth, his lips pulling against Nursey’s and encouraging him to open as well. The kiss was slow and exploratory. Honestly, far less frenzied and hungry than Nursey ever thought a drunk kiss could be. Eventually, Dex pulled back, sighing softly. 

“I always wanted you, Derek.”

@~>~~

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, and yelling at me on tumblr ([SexyDexyNurse](https://sexydexynurse.tumblr.com/)) are all appreciated.
> 
> The imagery is based on the rose from Beauty and the Beast, though obviously it works a bit different.
> 
> The petals don't drop at a consistent rate even between the two flowers, only the first and last have to drop at the same time.
> 
> I imagine Dex's flower as a dahlia. I'm not sure on Nursey's. Tell me what you think it would be.
> 
> The fact it can be any flower makes me think there's someone out there with a calla lily going "REALLY???"


End file.
